Having been an avid dieter for years (before I discovered that a lifestyle change was really the answer to weight loss), I can attest to caloric restriction as an answer to weight loss.

It's not the easiest answer, as irritability and hungry feelings come along with the ride for many of us. But it does work, and when you combine that outlook with exercise, keeping the pounds off for the longer term really does work, according to a review of many clinical trials on the subject.

Keeping lost weight off for four years (or more) was found most effective when the diet approach involved cutting calories (as opposed to just exercise). The results did not change with or without exercise. In a sense, food gives your body the fuel it needs, while exercise keeps the repair man (or woman) away.